Amusement and exercise apparatus



Dec. 29, 1970 Y. w. EAST 3,550,312

AMUSEMENT AND EXERCISE APPARATUS Filed Feb. 26, 1969 rzaiellz.

' meal z MuwLML ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,550,312 AMUSEMENT AND EXERCISE APPARATUS Yale W. East, Mountain View, Calif. (1220-393 N.

Lawrence Expressway, Sunnyvale, Calif. 94086) Filed Feb. 26, 1969, Ser. No. 802,381 Int. Cl. A63h /00 U.S. Cl. 46-52 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An amusement and exercise apparatus comprised of an elongated handle member having secured at either end thereof rotative assemblies adapted to rotate about the longitudinal axis of the handle member in opposite directions in response to manipulative movement of the handle portion. The rotative assemblies are respectively constrained from rotation in one direction by ratchet-like means which also produce an audible sound when the device is in operation.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to toy and exercise apparatus and, more particularly, to a novel operative device which may be used by children and adults alike as an exercise medium or as a game which tests manual dexterity and coordination.

Many toys and exercising devices have been provided in the prior art wherein the object is to cause one or more balls or eccentric projections to spin around a shaft or handle member. Examples of these types of device are disclosed in the Batchelder US. Pat. No. 139,533, the

' Rogers US. Pat. No. 2,414,063 and the Rolin US. Pat.

No. 2,956,369. The Batchelder and Rolin devices are quite similar to that of the present invention in that the intended object of the device is to cause a pair of ball-onstring or eccentrically mounted members to rotate in opposite directions in response to manipulation of a supporting rod or shaft. Although these devices have been found both amusing and beneficial from an exercising standpoint, there are certain improvements thereto to which the present invention is directed in order that the usefulness and amusing capabilities can be increased.

OBJECTS OF THE PRESENT INVENTION It is therefore a principal object of the present invention to provide an improved amusement and exercise device wherein the rotative elements are constrained to rotate independently in opposite directions.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a simplified mechanical amusement device including a handle portion with rotative elements disposed at either end thereof which is constrained to respectively rotate in only one direction.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a rotative amusement device requiring manual dexterity and coordination and including noise maker means at either end thereof for providing a rhythmatic beat responsive to the rotative frequency at which the rotative elements are turning.

SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION The present invention is comprised of an elongated handle member having secured at either end thereof, rotative assemblies adapted to rotate about the longitudinal axis of the handle member in opposite directions in response to manipulative movement of the handle portion. The rotative assemblies are respectively restrained from rotation in one direction by ratchet-like means which also produce an audible sound when the device is in operation.

In the drawing:

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FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the device illustrating the manner in which it is used.

FIG. 2 is an end view of the device illustrating the operation thereof.

FIG. 3 is a partially broken elevation illustrating the mechanical components of the device.

FIG. 4 is a cross perspective taken along the lines 44 of FIG. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to FIG. 1 of the drawing, there is shown an amusement and exercising device in accordance with the present invention illustrating the manner in which the device is held by the user. The device 10 generally includes an elongated handle portion 12 and a pair of rotatable end portions 14 and 16 adapted to rotate about the longitudinal axis of the handle portion 12. Attached to the end portions 14 and 16 are cord and ball assemblies 18 and 20 which are constrained to rotate in different directions about the axis of the handle 12 by means to be explained in detail below.

When one grasps a device such as the present invention in the manner illustrated in FIG. 1 of the drawing, and attempts to rotate both end assemblies, the initial tendency is to wobble the wrist to cause the ends 14 and 16 to describe generally conical surfaces of rotation about the midpoint 22 of the handle 12. However, to do so causes the balls 18 and 20 to rotate in the same direction rather than in opposite directions. Thus, the manner in which the desired opposing rotations are obtained is not immediately apparent and it takes a substantial degree of coordination to obtain the desired bi-directional operation.

In FIG. 2, the manner in which the desired opposing rotational movements are obtained is illustrated. For example, the handle 12 might be held in the right hand and the ball 18 held in the left hand. The handle 12 is then caused to reciprocate in a horizontal plane until the ball 20 begins to rotate in the counter-clockwise direction as illustrated. It will be readily apparent to those of skill in the art that with the ball in the position illustrated, a movement of the handle 12 in the direction indicated by the arrow 22 will cause the ball 21 to be accelerated to rotate to the position 20".

Likewise, when the ball 20 has been displaced around the handle 12 to the position 20', abrupt movement in the direction illustrated by the arrow 22 will cause the ball in the position 20' to continue to rotate back to the initial position 20. Once a frequency of displacement of the handle 12 has been achieved which is capable of causing the desired rotation of the ball 20, the ball 18, held in the left hand as illustrated, is then given a slight impetus with the left hand in the clockwise direction as the rod 12 is continuously reciprocated.

If such reciprocal movement of the handle 12 is continued with the proper frequency of repetition, both of the balls 18 and 20 will be caused to rotate in opposite directions as shown. When so rotating, the device will, for reasons to be explained below, produce a rhythmic sound at a frequency determined by the frequency of revolution of the balls 18 and 20.

Referring now to FIG. 3 of the drawing, the particular features of the present invention will be disclosed in detail. In a preferred embodiment, the handle 12 is a cylindrical rod of wood, plastic, aluminum, or other suitable material and includes a pair of helical camming surfaces 24 on one end, and a pair of similar camming surfaces 26 on the other end. The camming surfaces 24, for example, are perhaps better illustrated in FIG. 4 of the drawing. Rotatably afiixed to one end of the handle 12 is the rotatable end portion 14 having a similarly cammed end surface 25 which mates with the end surface 24.

Rotatably mounted to the other end of the handle 12..

is another end portion 16, also having a cammed end surface 27 for meshing with the end face 26 of the handle 12. The ends 14 and 16 are free to revolve in one direction about the axle pin 28 which pass through apertures 30 in the cammed ends thereof but are obviously constrained against rotation in the other direction. Recessed within the ends 14 and 16 and concentric with the pins 28 are spring means 32 which bear against the head 29 of the pin 28 and the pin shoulders 34 to bias the ends 14 and 16 toward the ends of the handle 12.

The spring means 32 are shown as a helical spring having a pair of end bearings or washers 36 and the pin 28 is illustrated as being simply a headed nail which is frictionally secured in the ends of the handle 12. However, it will be readily apparent to those of skill in the art that the pin 28 could just as well be threaded into the handle 12 or be otherwise attached in any suitable manner. Likewise, the spring means 32 could be any other resilient mechanism which would allow the ends 14 and 16 to be axially displaced a predetermined distance from the end of the handle 12 sufiicient to allow the cam surface 25 to cam completely over the surfaces 24, for example. The balls 18 and 20 are attached to the ends 14 and 16 respectively, by suitable cord means 38 and 40 which pass through suitable apertures and are knotted or otherwise secured to the rotatable ends of the device.

The noise maker feature of the device is actually incidental to the ratchet-type structure which permits opposite unidirectional rotation of the ends 14 and 16. The audible sounds are produced as the surfaces 25 re-engage the surfaces 24 after having been cammed off of the edges 42 during rotation. The staccato beat produced when the device is in operation is conductive to the continued rhythmic operation of the device since it is indicative of the speed of rotation. Thus, once a rotational speed sufiicient to maintain the contrarotation is attained, this rotation can be perpetuated by audibly monitoring the sounds produced by the device.

The device is preferably brightly colored and the exterior surface can take a suitable decorative configuration. The balls, or spheres, 18 and 20 are preferably of a soft material to prevent injury to children using the device. However, the bodies 1 8 and 20 are not limited to spherical bodies, but could be of any suitable configuration and may even themselves contain noise makers or illuminating apparatus to enhance the effect produced by operation of the device.

A suitable overall length of a device has been found to be approximately 20 or so, with 12" cords and 2" diameter spheres. These dimensions are, of course, only exemplary and the device can be of any suitable proportion.

Furthermormihe bearing parts, ratchet parts, etc. are not limited to the very basic mechanisms disclosed but can likewise be modified to suit the particular applicatlon.

After having read the above disclosure, many alterations and modifications of the invention Will be apparent to those of skill in the art. It is therefore to be understood that this discription of a preferred embodiment is for purposes of illustration only and is in no manner intended to be limiting in any way. Accordingly, I intend that the appended claims be interpreted as covering all modifications which fall within the true spirit and scope of my invention.

What is claimed is:

1. An amusement and exercise apparatus comprised of:

an elongated handle portion having rotative end portions coupled to either end thereof which are rotatable about a common axis;

ratchet-like camming means coupling said end portions to said handle portion, said camming means limiting rotation of said end portions to opposite directions; and

pendulous means attached to each end portion whereby reciprocal motion of said handle portion in a single plane will cause said end portions and the respective pendulous means affixed thereto to rotate in opposite directions about said handle portion.

2. An amusement and exercise apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein said camming means include the mating end surfaces of said end portions and said handle portion, and resilient biasing means for biasing said end portions into engagement with said handle portion.

3. An amusement and exercise apparatus as recited in claim 2 wherein said pendulous means comprise weighted spheres attached to said end portions by connecting means.

4. An amusement and exercise apparatus as recited in claim 3 which further includes means for producing an audible sound which is related to the angular velocity of said rotating pendulous means about said handle portion.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 139,533 6/1873 Batchelder 4651 460,270 9/1891 Somerby 272-84 LOUIS G. MANCENE, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 272-67 

